Student-patient communication during physiotherapy treatment

Area of Science:

• Physiotherapy Education
• Cross-cultural Communication Studies
• Clinical Skills Assessment

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial in physiotherapy for patient care.
• Cultural differences can influence communication styles in healthcare settings.
• Undergraduate physiotherapy training may not adequately address diverse communication needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the communication skills of Australian and Hong Kong physiotherapy students.
• To identify cultural and gender-based variations in student communication.
• To inform curriculum development for physiotherapy communication training.

Main Methods:

• Observation of final-year physiotherapy students (30 Australian, 27 Hong Kong) during patient treatment.
• Supervised assessment of specific communication skills in a clinical setting.
• Analysis of communication behaviors based on student nationality and gender.

Main Results:

• Australian students demonstrated more frequent use of explanation, eye contact, verbal reinforcement, facial expression, tonal variation, and responsive interest.
• Female students across both cultures used more verbal skills, including information seeking and responsive interest.
• Hong Kong male students employed more non-therapeutic touch and less responsive interest with male patients compared to Australian male students.

Conclusions:

• Physiotherapy students' communication skills vary significantly by cultural background and gender.
• There is a need for increased focus on developing verbal communication skills, particularly for male physiotherapy students.
• Curricula should integrate comprehensive communication skills training to enhance patient-practitioner interactions.